Just over 5 years ago, audiences in the Middle East began their love affair with the Turks, via TV screens. They brought us a whole new outlook on Turkish lifestyle and culture, one that was irresistible.

It was a mixture of fun, romance, edge, originality and characters that have not been seen on Arabic TV before.

But not everyone was happy with the Turks taking over our TV screens. Egyptian actress Wafaa Amer [3]is hot and bothered by the trend, describing the soap operas as a “disaster that hit the Arab economy and Egypt in particular.”

We don't think it was a matter of jealousy because she does have a point! Arab productions were negatively affected in Egypt, Syria and the Gulf, as channels were focusing their attention on purchasing the latest Turkish series.

Yep, it's not doing much good to our Arab stars and their work, but shouldn't this push them for more inspiration? Surely they now have a better idea of what peeps in the region are interested in watching!

The only guilt-tripping part in this story is the fact that Wafaa will not be appearing in any Ramadan dramas this year. She was due to appear in “Al Intiqam Al Na'em” (Soft Revenge) but the show's production was forced to postpone due to the recession.

That's the thing with TV; it's ever-changing. One day it's Mexican soaps that capture the nation's attention, like in 1980s Middle East, and the next it's Turkish dramas. We wonder if Japanese TV or something even more 'out there' might be what's around the corner.